the zhaf speaks

Saturday, August 12, 2006:

Just read a book on brain fitness earlier on at Borders. They recommend saying the alphabet backwards to keep your grey matter agile. Try it out. It's harder than you think. Got it down pat on the way home.

Picking up languages - great brain exercise too according to them. I'd love to master womanese ;)

-unshackled and unfettered he seeks power sublime- 1:59 pm

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Wednesday, August 09, 2006:

Post-bmt, I remember not taking it too well I arrived in sispec.
I remember occasions when sanity surreptitiously attempted to sneak off, into the night, and quietly too, while I languished in OOC-dom.
Then out of the frying pan and into the hot, searing flames of... hell? Eh, not quite. That was just the inner schizo ranting.

For once the army's EXCEEDED my expectations. Bedok camp has been pretty sweet to me, whipped cream, cherry on top and all. Of course it involved the usual politicking, treading the fine line between not giving a shit bout what others think and not giving a shit about others, and just a huge serving of good ol' luck. Indeed, I did get lucky. Feel free to creatively misinterpret.

Most importantly, rather than getting a freebie, I'm didn't get what I want without a measure of effort. I'm slowly, gradually, but surely, easing into office hours (legally, without playing strings, ninja skills, and all that jazz).

Like I told Howard, it's like God decided to give it to me gradually, in subsequently larger doses I'm capable of handling.

BMT - no privilege. zilch. nada. none. duh.
SISPEC - worse. the place where you arrive when hell's full
OOC in SISPEC - ah well. at least i'm not a camo-ass no more (thanks for the quote Gary). BUT I STILL FCKIN STAY IN.
1gds clerk - minimal overnights in camp, sans duties... with risks. serious risks. makes you sexy like firemen. you ARE playing with fire when you play the system in gds. i know, i understudy the charge clerk.

The upcoming move to brigade side is just orgasmic. We can't be feeling each other up forever, at some point the deal's gotta be sealed. To the uninitiated, I'm simply moving up the organizational structure in the army (READ : more benefits ;). The chief benefit being... THE HOLY GRAIL - STAY OUT.

I've essentially had it anyway, considering in all 7wks in 1gds, I'm counting the number of overnights in camp on one hand. Lots of subterfuge to get there. But now, no more subterfuge, ninja skills, smoking (not the cigarette, dummy). Just true to goodness - stay out.
office hours
air-conditioned nights at home
GREY'S ANATOMY and rubbish on tv
DOTAAAA - the new opiate
learning how to be a kid again from the baby bro
training to beat shengxiang in pool. it's been 3 yrs since our last game.
weekly japanese dining with the daddy
and starting that much-delayed psych degree

The transitory periods these 8 mths in NS have been excruciating. Perhaps, all it was - just a hard lesson in valuing time. I shudder to imagine the quagmire I'd be wading in, if I was given stay-out straight to my face. How I'd maim the 2 yrs, and squander the time away.

And in the 1.5 years of limbo before enlisting, what if I knew then, what I know now.
Or is it just a recollection of something I've known too well, all along?

The ease with which I forget, 20 isn't TOO ancient.

And yes, I've played in excess of a hundred bucks of pool in the past few weeks. F-O-C! FREE OF CHARGE! Thanks Dino. Look me up for punch anytime.

(get the hint people. i will up my game. all departments. pool especially)

-unshackled and unfettered he seeks power sublime- 10:15 am

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